The Marauders' Tale
by wolfstar7
Summary: From meeting each other on the Hogwarts Express to Remus Lupin's death, the Marauders had an interesting life. Every chapter is a new important date from the Marauders' lives told from all four points of view.
1. September 1st, 1971

_**Chapter One: September 1**_ _ **st**_ _ **, 1971**_

 _Remus Lupin could not help but worry as he strolled toward the train on Platform nine and three-quarters. He was alone. His family was too scared and disappointed in him to see him off, and he couldn't blame him. He thought of the fading scars on his face and felt the curious stares of other students who wondered where they were from._

 _Though he was excited to have been allowed into the school, his biggest fear was that he would not have a single friend at Hogwarts – or at least one who accepted him for who he was. He had never had a friend before, never. His parents wouldn't allow him out of the house, they didn't want people to_ _ **suspect**_ _anything weird about him._

 _Remus Lupin was one of the first students on the train. He pulled himself into the first empty compartment he could and watched enviously as other young witches and wizards talked gleefully with their family. He hadn't had a conversation with his own family since he was six years old._

 _"Hello, is anyone sitting here?" A small, plump boy with mousy brown hair asked timidly. Remus was so shocked that someone was talking to him he couldn't speak, so he just nodded. The boy was not handsome, but he was not ugly either. He looked scared but excited. He slouched in his seat and played with his hands idly, not wanting to be the person to start a conversation. His grey clothes told Remus Lupin that the boy preferred to be in the background, he was shy, and he was afraid. Soon he learned the boy's name was Peter, Peter Pettigrew._

 _After Peter came a skinny boy with jet black hair and round glasses, his brown eyes twinkled mischievously. He held a beautiful cloak in his hand, but stuffed it into his trunk quickly. The boy wore a red and gold long sleeve shirt even though he had not yet been sorted into Gryffindor. His hair was crazy, sticking out wildly in random spots. Remus Lupin could see the boy was crazy and probably arrogant, he had a sense of pride about him and he enjoyed causing trouble. This boy was well loved and had not a thing in the world to worry about. The boy would introduce himself as James Potter, and take a seat next to Peter, not even thinking that either of the two would reject his company._

 _Finally came a boy with shoulder length black hair, he was taller than the others, and carried himself with a sort of pride, but that did not stop Remus Lupin from seeing the bright red slashes on the boy's arms and the bruises on his face. The boy's grey eyes looked angry and scared, his black jumper had strings hanging loose from where the boy had no-doubt pulled at his sleeve. He was not well loved in his family. Remus Lupin felt for this boy at once, wanted to hug him, but he restrained. He quickly introduced himself as Sirius Black, and Remus shuddered involuntarily. He knew of the Blacks, he knew what they had done and knew what they had caused, yet he also could sense that Sirius was not a traditional Black._

 _During the ride Remus Lupin enjoyed talking to the boys and laughing with them. He liked being part of the group, and he realized for the first time that he may have a friend – or three._

 _At the sorting, Remus Lupin hoped that he would be sorted into the same house as his new friends – he got his wish. They talked more throughout the feast and stayed up in the Gryffindor Common Room for most of the night. They didn't mention his scars once._

 _Peter Pettigrew practically ran to the train on platform nine and three-quarters. He was with his mum – his dad had left them when he was very young. His mum would point out nice looking witches and wizards and spoke fondly of her Hogwarts experience as she fastened her pace to catch up to her son. He was excited that he was leaving for Hogwarts, but he was also nervous. He wondered if people would like him even if he wasn't particularly attractive or particularly brave, he wondered if the sorting hat would sort him into the wrong house and his next seven years would be miserable. He hoped that everything would be alright._

 _Peter Pettigrew walked into a compartment that had only one other occupant – a boy of about eleven who had long, deep scars on his face. Peter Pettigrew nervously introduced himself, then observed the boy. He was poorly dressed and looked uncared for. Peter figured he came from a poor family, maybe even a muggle one, but he didn't know if anything in the muggle world could cause those scars. The boy didn't speak just then, but hours later Peter would learn that his first friend at Hogwarts was named Remus Lupin._

 _His second friend strolled into the compartment wearing a red and gold striped shirt. Peter Pettigrew's first thought was proud, his second was "this boy could protect me". He was introduced almost immediately to James Potter._

 _The next boy who came in also seemed full of pride, he was handsome and looked like he would be able to rule the school. Peter Pettigrew grinned, not being able to believe his luck that he was going to befriend such powerhouses. The boy introduced himself as Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew's smile grew. The Blacks were a rich pureblood family and had loads of power. This was a good move._

 _During the ride, Peter Pettigrew mainly listened to his new friends talking around him, as he could not yet believe his luck. He was amazed at how wonderful these people were and knew he was in good hands._

 _Peter Pettigrew was delighted when he and his new friends were all sorted into Gryffindor, and he was amazed at the endless foods at the feast. His mother did not exaggerate about this place at all; it was perfect, it was wonderful, and it was home. Peter Pettigrew could not believe his luck._

 _James Potter walked to the train on platform nine and three-quarters with his mum and dad. His dad joked with him while his mom fussed over him and tried to make sure he had not forgotten anything. When the trio got to the front of the Hogwarts Express, his dad pulled him over, tears of pride were streaming down the man's face. "James," he smiled down at his son, handing him what looked like an ordinary cloak, "this has been in our family for generations. My father gave it to me my first year at Hogwarts and his father did the same, so I guess that means that it's your turn now. Use it wisely," James smiled, thanked his dad and ran onto the train, excited to be the new owner of his family's invisibility cloak._

 _He opened the first compartment that he saw, and stood in front of two young students – first years, like him. He smiled as warm as he could while shoving his prized possession into his trunk then introduced himself._

 _The boy with the scars nodded at his introduction. The boy wore a tan jumper with holes and lemon-colored elbow patches. His sandy blond hair hung down past his ears and his green eyes shone with sadness. Instantly, James felt for the boy, he saw the boy – not as a poor child with hideous scars – but as a brave man who fought an unwinnable battle. Remus Lupin was his name, and James would rarely see him without his nose in a book. He often wondered if that was his way to hide his scars._

 _The plump boy reminded James of a rat. His teeth, his hair, his face, everything. All he saw was rat. But the rat he saw was timid and afraid, and didn't know how to care for himself. James liked him though, he was nice and he was eager and he was different. He was named Peter Pettigrew._

 _Minutes after James had sat next to Peter, a fourth boy walked in. He held himself a way that only someone from an important family would, James noted, looking at the boy's long black hair. James smiled at him, he imagined that they were going to become a fearsome twosome. When the boy introduced himself as Sirius Black, James Potter's smile did not falter, his father had taught him that a name meant almost nothing in terms of who a wizard grew up to be._

 _In the compartment, James started most of the conversations and added most of the input, the other boys laughed at his jokes and added some of their own, and James smiled. This is what friendship is supposed to look like, he looked at Remus breaking off pieces of chocolate for Sirius while Peter spoke excitedly to the two of them about one of his trips to Bulgaria._

 _James Potter already knew that he and his new friends would not be separated, but was absolutely ecstatic when everyone – including Sirius – was sorted into Gryffindor. During the feast he sat beside Peter Pettigrew and a redheaded girl with beautiful green eyes._

 _"I'm James Potter," James's mouth was full of mashed potatoes when he said it, but the girl smiled anyway._

 _"I'm Lily, Lily Evans. It's a pleasure to meet you."_

 _Sirius Black obediently followed his sister to the train on platform nine and three-quarters. He knew Narcissa didn't like him – he was too different – and was not surprised when she completely ignored him. When boarding the train, Narcissa found her boyfriend, Lucius, and ditched Sirius Black. He didn't want to be in the hall any longer and he most certainly did not want to run into Lucius Malfoy and his friends – he'd seen enough of that crowd during the summer –, so Sirius Black opened the first door to the first compartment he could see and strode in._

 _Inside the compartment sat three other first years. Sirius introduced himself. He saw some smiles falter and frowned, he was the black sheep of the Blacks; he wasn't that bad. After their initial shock, the three boys smiled at him, and he smiled back, looking at them more closely._

 _The first one he noticed was the one with the scars. They were long, pink lines running down his face and probably weren't going to fade any more than they already had. Despite his scars, the boy was beautiful, he was poor and a bit malnourished – possibly by his family – his face too skinny for a healthy eleven year old boy. His jumper had holes and ugly yellow elbow patches, but he made it work. His sandy blonde hair was long, not as long as Sirius's, but still past his ears. His hair was mostly straight but it looked poorly groomed. His eyes were what some people might call his best feature – they were piercing and green and strong and beautiful. At that moment Sirius would argue that the scars were the boy's – Remus Lupin's – best feature._

 _His eyes darted across the compartment to a small, plump boy who looked oddly like a rodent. He was boring to look at and seemed helpless and harmless. It was almost as if he wanted someone to protect him, Sirius thought, looking away at Peter Pettigrew with a feeling of pity._

 _Lastly, he came across a boy with round glasses who had the nerve to wear a Gryffindor themed jumper even though he had not yet been sorted, Sirius smirked, this boy was bold and brave, probably. He's prideful and probably extremely arrogant. Sirius took a liking to the boy immediately. His name was James Potter, he learned within seconds of sitting down._

 _The train ride made Sirius forget he was a Black and forget his family problems for a while, he felt as though after the eight hours they had marked each other as a group, a gang, a family. There was no stopping these boys, he knew._

 _Being sorted into Gryffindor was a hard thing for Sirius Black. He knew he'd be beaten for it. The Blacks were Slytherins – they were always Slytherins. Until Sirius._

 _After the sorting, Sirius and his new friends talked and talked while they ate at the feast. Sirius Black sat by Remus Lupin and they joked together. Remus was extremely witty and Sirius enjoyed that._

 _"Hey Sirius," Remus spoke, but did not take his eyes off the ceiling, Sirius looked up to where Remus was staring and could see the brightest star in Canis Major, "it's your star."_


	2. October 31st, 1972

_**Chapter Two: October 31**_ _ **st**_ _ **, 1972**_

It was two nights before the full moon, and instead of joining the rest of the school for the Halloween Feast, Remus Lupin was laying on his four poster bed, curtains drawn. His eyes were closed as if he were asleep, but his body moved around restlessly and he continuously kicked his covers off of his body only to pull them back up over his face seconds later.

Remus couldn't sleep the nights before the full moon. For three days every month, he spent his time ignoring his friends and only leaving his bed for classes. James, Sirius, and Peter had ignored it for most of his first year – Remus had kept to himself even when he wasn't spending most of his time in bed, so they didn't think much of it – but James had started asking him questions before the full moon in September this year, and by early October Sirius and Peter had begun to question him as well.

This scared Remus more than his monthly turnings did. The three boys were his only friends and he couldn't bear to lose them. If they knew what he was they would ostracize him from the group and look down at him with disgust.

Remus shuddered at the thought.

It was two nights before the full moon, and instead of joining the rest of the school for the Halloween Feast, Peter Pettigrew was in the hospital wing with James Potter and Sirius Black, questioning Madam Pomfrey about Remus's frequent visits.

James had been the one who insisted that they go, he was the one who seemed the most worried about Remus and desperately wanted to help him. Earlier this month when they were in their room, James had seen a fresh bite mark on Remus's right arm, and, when he told the other two boys about it, Sirius had insisted that they figure out what was going on, Peter had agreed. Peter was worried about his friend, and wanted him to be okay. He was only a twelve year old boy for God's sake, he shouldn't be acquiring new scars that gruesome.

Madam Pomfrey did not seem surprised when the three boys showed up at the hospital, panting. She did raise a single eyebrow when James, who was the first to catch his breath, asked why Remus was in there so often, but other than that, Peter thought she looked calmer than usual.

To be fair, Peter had only seen Madam Pomfrey when James and Sirius's pranks went foul and turned Peter's appearance into that of an old man – or caused boils to sprout on his face – or turned his hair blue for three months, so Madam Pomfrey had never been too excited to see him.

"Has Remus told you anything?" She asked, not wanting to give anything up. The woman was obviously aware of Remus's situation. She never allowed Peter, James, or Sirius into the hospital wing when Remus was recovering the day after whatever it was that happened had happened. She tended to him and Peter had seen Remus come out of the hospital wing many times holding a vial in his hand. The vial, Peter thought, Madame Pomfrey would tell them what was in the vial, wouldn't she? That would be a clue.

"We were just wondering what was in the vial you give Remus," Peter blurted, causing James and Sirius to look at him in shock. He almost never spoke to anyone that wasn't a student and the other boys were used to him not putting forth any effort into their quests as he usually wasn't interested. But he was interested in this. He wanted his friend to be okay.

"If you don't know that," Madame Pomfrey replied stiffly, "I don't think you boys should be in here."

"But-" Peter started to protest, but James put a hand on his shoulder, turning him away.

"Come on Peter, she's not going to budge," he muttered, "Maybe we'll find something in the library."

It was two nights before the full moon, and instead of joining the rest of the school for the Halloween Feast, James Potter was in the library with Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew reading about werewolves.

When they first walked into the library, none of the boys knew exactly what they were looking for, so they sat at a table deep in thought, "I've got it!" Sirius yelled, jumping up from his seat which caused James – who was beside him – to jump and earning a hush from the librarian, "Remus starts having his er problems approximately every twenty-eight days," Sirius lowered his voice, "James, it's near the full moon. The days he doesn't leave his bed. Peter," Sirius turned his eyes across the table at Peter, who looked as confused at James felt, "When is the next full moon?"  
"Um November 2nd I believe, why?" Peter's eyes narrowed and James looked back at Sirius, slowly catching on.

"You don't think…?" James trailed off, Sirius nodded, "Remus? A werewolf?" He heard Peter gasp, but he kept his focus on Sirius.

"It's so obvious," Sirius whispered, sitting back down hastily, "You've seen how the full moon affects him. And those fresh cuts and bite marks, he does that to himself. And for Christ's sake, his name is practically Wolf Wolf – which is a cruel joke but still. That vial Peter saw, it has to be Wolfsbane. It's fairly new, invented right before our first year I think," James was shocked at the fact that he knew about Wolfsbane, and Sirius must have seen his surprise because the next thing he exclaimed was, "Oh, come on! I listen to Slughorn sometimes, honestly James."

So now, in the middle of the Halloween Feast, James, Peter, and Sirius were reading up as much as they could about werewolves before they confronted Remus about his… special condition and, in those moments, James Potter wanted nothing more in his life than to help his friend.

It was two nights before the full moon, and instead of joining the rest of the school for the Halloween Feast, Sirius Black was walking to the Gryffindor Common Room with James Potter and Peter Pettigrew, about to confront Remus about being a werewolf.

Sirius was nervous as to how Remus would react to them knowing. He knew Remus was soft spoken and that he didn't want them knowing – he would've told them if he did –, but he knew they had to tell him. They wanted to help him get through his restless nights.

The walk to their room was long and painful as Sirius wondered how they would tell Remus. How could they say they knew what he was without making him angry? Sirius hoped James wouldn't be the one to say it. His heart was in the right place, but he could be blunt and a little too light about some things.

"Bubble Tooth," James sang as the Fat Lady's portrait opened to reveal their common room. The three boys made their way up in silence, stopping in front of Remus's bed.

His curtains were drawn, like they always were during this time, Sirius opened them to reveal a pale, shirtless Remus Lupin who had a blanket half over him. He had scars all over his torso, they looked newer than the scars on his face – probably from this year or last – and they shone bright pink and red in contrast to his pale skin. His eyes were closed.

"Why aren't you guys at the feast?" Remus's voice shook as his eyes shot open. He struggled to sit up.

"We need to talk to you Rem," James spoke sympathetically, sitting down next to Remus on the bed. Sirius sat on his other side.

"We know…" Peter started, Sirius shot him a look that shut him up immediately. He didn't want something as serious as this to just be blurted out.

Remus's face went white, "What do you know?" He asked, horror stricken. Sirius tried to put his hand on the boy's knee, but Remus pushed him away, "What do you know?" He repeated with more force.

This time Sirius let Peter finish, "We know you're a werewolf, Rem," Peter sat down on the edge of the bed. Sirius could hear Remus begin to cry.

It was two nights before the full moon, and instead of coming up from the Halloween Feast like the rest of the school, Remus Lupin was already in his bed, crying into James Potter's shoulder.

"How?" Remus managed to ask. He didn't know if the others heard him with his face buried in James's shirt. James's arms were around the boy and he was continuously whispering, "It's okay, it's okay Rem," into Remus's ear.

He felt a hand begin to stroke his hair before he heard Sirius answer, "We pay attention."

"Do you guys hate me?" He heard himself ask, moving away from James's grasp.

Sirius pulled Remus up to him, Remus was too weak to fight, "Remus, look at me," Sirius's voice was softer than Remus had ever heard it, his grey eyes were watery, "We love you. All of us love you. You mean so much to us. We wouldn't be us without you," James and Peter nodded in agreement. Remus tried to smile as he rested his head against Sirius, but he couldn't. The boys didn't know what they were getting into. They wouldn't be able to deal with it when they learned what it entailed.

"Plus we have an idea," Peter exclaimed, looking earnestly at James, who must've been the mastermind behind this idea.

James beamed at Remus, "We're going to become animagi," he grinned, "so you don't have to face the full moon alone."

"We'll be there to make sure you don't hurt anyone – or yourself – too badly. We'll help you through the transformation," Peter added excitedly.

These boys really have no idea what they're getting into, Remus thought, grimacing, "Animagi?" Remus was doubtful, "You can't become animagi, and you're second years for Christ's sake. You won't be able to figure out how to do it, and, if you do, I wouldn't want you to. You could get seriously hurt. I would seriously hurt you."  
"For Christ's sake Remus!" Sirius yelled, Remus could feel him throw his head back to the wall, "We want to help you. We want to do this. This isn't something we are offering to do out of pity. I swear we're going to become animagi whether its next week or seventh year, and for the full moons in between, we are going to do whatever we can to make you feel better. We want to. Jesus Chris, we care about you."

Remus began to cry, but not because he was sad. He had never been accepted before. He had never been so happy in his entire life.


	3. January 15th, 1974

_**Chapter Three: January 15**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 1974**_

Remus Lupin sat in Professor McGonagall's office with his three friends. He had gotten the least amount damage from Sirius and James's stupid prank, but his hair was still a bright shade of red.

 _I don't know why the hell I'm here_ he thought, suddenly annoyed with the other boys. He hadn't even done anything. He wasn't even in on the stupid prank to begin with. Professor McGonagall just assumed he was part of it when he found him conveniently walking down the same hallway as the others.

He could hear James and Peter laughing in the seats around him, but he didn't look at them, he just sat there with his arms crossed, waiting for McGonagall.

"Come on Remus!" James laughed, putting his arm around the skinny boy, "It's not like anything _bad_ happened. James laughed again as Remus looked up at the bloody idiot.

He was quite literally red. His entire body. Bright Gryffindor red. In fact, his glasses were even red. The only visible part of James that wasn't red was his hair – which was a nice gold, even his brown eyes had a red tint to them, "What were you guys even attempting to do?" Remus asked, glaring at James.

James wrapped his arm around Remus tighter, "For someone as smart as you, I'd think it'd be obvious," James exclaimed, "We were trying to make a group of Slytherins look… well like me," he laughed again, letting go of Remus. James _always_ laughed in these kinds of situations. _He_ thought it was hilarious when their pranks backfired and they ended up in the hospital wing overnight. But even Sirius wasn't half as amused as James this time, his long hair may have looked good against his pale skin, but it definitely did not look good against the gold.

Remus's head jerked back when he heard the familiar slam of the office door, "You would _think_ that being four of the top students in your year that you marauders wouldn't be such _bloody idiots_ ," McGonagall's voice was shrill, her face was such a brilliant shade of red that Remus wondered whether James's spell had hit her too.

"What'd you call us?" James asked, thoroughly interested.

"Marauders, Mr. Potter. I called you blokes marauders," James leaned forward in his chair.

"What's that mean?"

Professor McGonagall let out a loud sigh, "A _marauder_ , James, is a person who roams around looking for things to destroy. Which you and your little friends have proven yourselves to do quite often in the past three years."

James grinned, looking around at the other three boys, "I quite like the sound of that, don't you boys? We're the _marauders_." Remus smiled with the others, he had to admit that the name was fitting.

Peter Pettigrew's clothing had spatters of red and gold stains all over and his hair was striped the same colors, but it didn't upset him. He, like James, found it quite amusing. They hadn't had a prank backfire since the incident of Christmas 1972 and, like that one, it was because Remus had refused to help them plan. James and Sirius may have been the pranking masterminds but Remus was the machine that made sure everything ran smoothly.

Obviously, everything had not run smoothly without him because Peter Pettigrew and his friends were sitting face to face with Professor McGonagall, and she did not look too pleased to see them. In fact, she looked livid and James asking her what a marauder was didn't seem to lighten her mood, especially when the other boys started talking excitedly about how fantastic a name it would be for them.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor," McGonagall seethed, causing the boys to look up in alarm.

"But professor!" James stood up in protest, "That's _half_ of the points the Quidditch team earned this weekend!" Remus pulled the red boy down.  
"Twenty points from Gryffindor _each_ Mr. Potter," _twice as many points as James and the rest of the team scored us_ Peter groaned inwardly, "And detention for all you, meet Filch at the astronomy tower Tuesday at eight o'clock sharp boys," She got up, turning towards the door.

"Professor –" Remus croaked, his face had gone a sickly shade of white, "That's not fair!" Remus's cry caused for McGonagall to turn back around.

"Not _fair_ Mr. Lupin? Not fair?" Peter swore he saw smoke coming from the woman's ears, "You boys keep causing all of this bloody trouble! You force me to take points from my own house left and right because _you can't stop_. You of all people Mr. Lupin should be ashamed! You're top of the class – right next to Ms. Evans – and you can't even _control_ your friends!" She exploded, storming out of the room.

"I think it's safe to say," James started, leaning back on his chair, "that we have finally grown on Professor McGonagall." 

James Potter was quite enjoy his new color scheme. He personally thought it showed off his house pride quite well. Making his way to the hospital wing with the rest of his friends, he frowned, knowing that Sirius was not enjoying it quite as much as he – or even Peter – was.

"Sirius, you look lovely today, absolutely _golden_ ," James had joked, Sirius barely smiled.

"We're bloody idiots sometimes James," Sirius had groaned, looking down at his skin.

"Oh come on," Peter nudged Sirius, "At least you don't look like James." James couldn't help but agree at that.

Sirius may have had golden skin, but he had gold hair _and_ red skin. It was appalling. He couldn't look at himself without bursting into a fit of laughter, and, after Sirius's initial anger, he began to laugh too.

"This always happens when we don't have _Mr. Lupin_ here looking out for us," Sirius put his arm around Remus and chuckled. Remus, James saw, was not in the mood. He had been targeted by McGonagall's rage and hadn't even done anything. He was should've the one who was let off with a warning this time. The scrawny boy even glared at Sirius. James was shocked, Remus always glared at James, but never at Sirius, "Come on Rem," Sirius moved his arm away, "you didn't do anything wrong. McGonagall just has high expectations for you. It's like she thinks you're above us or something," Remus's eyes brightened at the thought of McGonagall thinking that.

"Too be fair," Remus, who was in the middle of James and Sirius, put his arms around the two, "I am above both of you," he smirked, going back to his old self, "and I'm above you too, Peter. Both literally and figuratively."

James knew, even though Remus was joking, that he was right. He was above them. He listened in class and even did his homework. He never complained and was reluctant to break the rules. James wasn't even sure why Remus hung around him and the other two boys.

Sirius Black was not at all happy with James when he missed the Slytherins completely and his spell rebounded off a mirror. _If Remus had actually decided to help us_ , Sirius had thought bitterly, _maybe we wouldn't be showing our Gryffindor pride as much as we currently are._

Sirius had lightened up about the prank on the way to the hospital wing, but cursed when Madam Pomfrey announced that they'd have to stay the night. It wasn't that he didn't mind staying the night in the hospital wing with his friends, but he was supposed to have a date with the drool worthy Cynthia Hawkins – a fourth year Ravenclaw – and was upset that he had to blow the older girl off because of James's mistake.

When James did find out why Sirius was so upset about the prank, his expression turned to fake sympathy, " _Oh Sirius_!" He cried, rolling on top of the boy, "I'm _so_ sorry. If you want I'll be your date for the night. Unless you'd prefer Peter or Remus that is," he winked. James was always like this, Sirius knew, it was a sort of joke between the two of them.

Sirius was a _very_ touchy feely person, mainly because he wasn't particularly loved as a child, but he was especially affectionate towards James, Remus, and Peter. They were practically his brothers and he was always there to comfort them.

With James, after a particularly nasty Quidditch match, Sirius would lie with him on the couch, listening to all of his complaints about "Madame Hooch's goddamn awful reffing". Whenever he was turned down by Lily Evans – which has been approximately thirty-seven times as of now – Sirius would make him tea and sit up at the side of his bed past midnight, listening to him cry and trying to convince him that he in fact was good enough and that there was nothing wrong with him even if Lily had refused go out with him again.

With Peter, whenever the boy got homesick, Sirius would hold the boy while he cried, listen to him vent, and make him tea. Peter's homesickness had become almost nonexistent this year, but sometimes, in the dead of the night, Sirius would hear him sniffling and walk over to the boy's bed with a bit of chocolate and a story to tell.

With Remus, during the days leading up to a full moon, Sirius would do the boy's homework for him so he didn't worry, crawl into bed with him, trying to help his restless sleep, and bring him a cup of tea and an excessive amount of chocolate – Remus loved chocolate. The nights following the full moon, Sirius would stay in the common room with Remus through the night, watching the boy panic over all the classes he had missed. Because of this, Sirius had taken to taking notes only when on nights before the full moon so he could give them – and more tea and chocolate – to Remus in order to calm him down. About two nights a week, Sirius would stumble into the common room to find Remus passed out on a textbook with a candle lit beside him. Everyone else was always asleep when Sirius walked in and found him, so Sirius always picked Remus up and tucked the boy into bed, blowing out the candle on his way up.

Sirius, coming back from his thoughts, moved to Peter's hospital bed, where the rest of the boys were seated, "You know," James said thoughtfully as Sirius sat down beside him, "I really did like what Professor McGonagall called us – the marauders. It really does have a ring to it."


	4. November 12th, 1974

**_November 12_** ** _th_** ** _, 1974_**

Remus Lupin was in his room getting ready for his first date. James had been the one who set Remus and the girl – Alaina, a fourth year Hufflepuff – up, so, instead of sneaking down to stock up on butterbeer and firewhiskey, he had volunteered to help Remus get ready.

Remus was happier than he'd admit to have James help him because, even though he was utterly obsessed with Lily, James had been on quite a few dates with other girls. James had a certain charm about him – so did Sirius – which girls _ate up_. Remus did not. Remus wore baggy, torn up jumpers when he wasn't in his robes, his sandy blonde hair was well groomed and only went down to the middle of his ears, the paleness of his skin made his scars stand out, and he was thin and lanky with only a small amount of muscle definition. He wasn't shy, but he didn't go out of his way to talk to girls, preferring books and his fellow marauders to them.

James and Sirius, on the other hand, both had jet black hair – James's stuck out all in random places in a mischievous way while Sirius's was shoulder length, slick and straight as a result of obsessing over it for years – and their eyes had a certain glint to them that screamed _danger_. Not danger in a sense of killing or hurting, but danger in a sense of recklessness. Girls loved how crazy they were, how they didn't care about consequence. Both boys were more muscular than Remus – James from his years of Quidditch and Sirius from helping James train. Their clothing choices were nicer than Remus's too. Aside from his robes, James wore collared shirts, old Quidditch jerseys, and had a small collection of plain jumpers that were much nicer than Remus's. Sirius wore a lot of black. _A lot_. Girls thought it was edgy – Remus thought it was ironic considering his family's name.

James had a lot of advice for Remus. _A lot_. He explained to him why complimenting was necessary, he ruffled his hair up, he even gave Remus a midnight blue collared shirt and pair of khakis to wear, telling him that Alaina would love it. Remus just smiled nervously, not sure why he couldn't wear one of own – less worn – jumpers.

"Okay, so give me the step by step on how tonight's gonna work," James looked at Remus expectantly, they'd gone through this dozens of times.

"Well," Remus started, more confident than last time, "I'm going to meet her outside the Hogwarts basement, then we'll go out to the lake for a picnic."

"And?" James leaned closely towards Remus, eager to hear what was next.

"And what?" Remus asked, they hadn't gotten much farther than the basics before.

"Well then you're going to bring out some candles, you're going to talk to her for a little – well I suggest you just listen to her talk more than you talk yourself – and then you're going to kiss her!" James exclaimed, as if it were obvious.

"K-kiss her?" Remus stuttered. He'd _never_ kissed a girl before. He hadn't even wanted to.

" _Bloody Hell Moony_!" James put a hand on his forehead dramatically, "are you even a boy?" Peter had been the one who began to call him Moony during their third year, it caught on quick.

"Shut up, James," Remus grumbled, getting to his feet.

"Oi! Don't forget the flowers!" James yelled, turning an old quill into a bouquet of roses and handed it to Remus while Remus simultaneously gave him the finger and ran out of the room.

Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black made their way to Hogsmeade using the witch statue they had discovered the previous year. They discarded of the invisibility cloak at the start of the tunnel, and walked into the darkness.

"Lumos" Sirius muttered so that the light revealed their path. They walked in silence for a few minutes, neither having much to say to the other.

It wasn't that they didn't like each other or anything, Peter knew, but they tended to fall into a comfortable silence whenever they were alone. Both enjoyed the quiet, but rarely got it when they were with James and Remus.

"James is pretty invested in this date," Peter piped up in an effort to start some small talk.

"Yeah," Sirius agreed, "you'd think it was his first date, not Moony's," he laughed.

"I bet he'll be spying on them, making sure Remus doesn't screw up," Sirius laughed again.

"I hope so. Remus'll probably start talking about his latest _History of Magic_ essay or even worse, his favorite muggle classic," this time Peter laughed.

"He'll be fine," Peter said, his tone changing, "he's a charming bloke sometimes."

"You're right," Sirius agreed, "That girl is pretty lucky to be his first date."

Before Peter could say anything else about their little boy growing up, they reached the end of the tunnel and Sirius turned his attention to opening the trap door.

"Alright Peter, let's do this."

James Potter was probably more excited about Remus's date than Remus was, but he couldn't help it. Remus was a weirdly attractive guy and quite a few girls were interested, but he never seemed to notice it. His scars gave him a slight edge that sparked curiosity in many girls, but he was also incredibly smart – always reading or working on homework or explaining exactly why James and Sirius's latest plan was too stupid to work. James smiled as he watched his friend go then plopped down on his bed to wait for Sirius and Peter.

It took exactly 7 minutes for Sirius and Peter to come back with a twelve pack of firewhiskey, a six pack of butterbeer, galleons worth of treats, and James's invisibility cloak.

"I'll take that," James walked towards Peter, taking his invisibility cloak and a bottle of firewhiskey, then scurrying out of the room before Peter and Sirius asked any questions.

He had taken four swigs of firewhiskey before he had reached the common room; before he saw the red haired, freckled girl sitting on the couch. Her hands were covered in ink and her nose was scrunched up like it always was when she was concentrating, "Hey Evans," James jumped to the other side of the couch.

Lily didn't look up. "Potter," she said, sounding more distracted than usual. James looked over at the Transfiguration homework she was working on. The Transfiguration homework that she had barely written two inches on.

"You'd think," James laid his head against the back of the couch and threw his legs onto the table, "that someone as smart as you wouldn't be struggling that much with a simple transfiguration essay."

"Oh like you could do better," he flinched. She knew transfiguration was his favorite subject – and the only class he ever did homework for. James didn't say anything. He ran up to his room, grabbed his two foot long essay, came back down, and threw it on the table.

"Here," he pushed it towards her, "don't want your streak of perfect grades to falter after only four years."

Lily smiled gratefully at him as he exited through the portrait hole, smirking.

In all honesty, James had wanted to stay there and watch her write, but he made his way to the lake, putting his invisibility cloak on as soon as he got outside.

At the lake, he saw Remus laying on his side talking to that Hufflepuff girl – James didn't remember her name, but she was cute. And had asked about Remus a few times during Herbology. The girl was sitting on the blanket beside him, laughing at something the werewolf had said, James smiled, sitting down in the grass about twenty feet away from them and taking another swig of firewhiskey.

It had been three hours since James left and Sirius Black sat in his room with Peter Pettigrew, completely wasted. He was on his sixth firewhiskey when Peter told him that he was tired and wanted to call it a night. Sirius watched as the boy got stumbled into bed, then he grabbed the last three firewhiskies and walked down to the common room. It was almost completely empty, the only other person there being Lily Evans who was sitting in the exact spot she had been when he had come back from Hogsmeade.

"You look terrible, Black," Lily voice was full of concern as she looked up from her essay.

"You don't look too hot yourself, Evans," Sirius noticed that words had begun to slur. Lily smiled at him. The two had never been close, but they didn't hate each other. Sometimes he'd even hang out with her and Remus – they had become quite close lately, discussing homework and muggle books – but they'd never been alone, "Seriously though," he leaned forward, looking into her green eyes, there were dark shadows under them, "you need to stop putting so much pressure on yourself. You look like complete shit."

"Sirius," Sirius could not remember a single time that she had ever called him by his first name, "I'm fine. I'm always fine."

"Lily," Sirius drew out her name, "You, young lady. You need to go to sleep."

" _You need to go to sleep_ ," she spoke sternly, " _I_ need to finish this essay for Slughorn."

"And I need to wait for Remus to get back," Lily had a look of pity in her eyes.

"He's not your responsibility. He'll be fine. And who knows, he might not even come back to the common room tonight."

Sirius felt himself shake, "I hope he isn't fine. I hope he has a real crappy time and if he _doesn't_ come back within the hour, I will find him and bring him back." Lily gaped at him.

"Excuse you?" her previously pitied tone turned murderous, " _Just because_ you haven't had a date in three days _does not_ justify you not wanting one of your _best friends_ to have a good time. _Bloody hell_ , Sirius, don't be such a child."

"But he's not _supposed_ to be dating anyone. He's Remus, he's supposed to only think about school and books and chocolate and tea and James and Peter and _me_ ," Sirius finished weakly and Lily groaned.

"If you have a crush on him why don't you just _tell him_?"

Sirius stared at her in horror, "Excuse you?" he asked, still shaking as he stood up. He wasn't up for long though, he was too off balance, and Lily pulled him back down before he fell, "I am a _very_ straight man. And Remus Lupin also happens to be a _very_ straight man. Besides, even if I happened to be a little gay, he's not even my type. He's too much of a nerd, like you."

"Whatever you say, Sirius," Lily smirked, "I'm going to bed." Before she made it up the stairs she turned, "by the way, I really like your jumper. Black and holey with grey elbow patches?" she laughed, turning back up the stairs.

And so, Sirius sat alone with his firewhiskey and waited twenty-seven minutes until Remus returned, looking very pink in the face. He looked out of place in James's blue colored shirt.

"You're wearing my jumper," Remus pointed out when he saw Sirius sitting on the couch.

"You're wearing James's shirt," Sirius stated, trying to stand up. Remus caught him.

"That's because I had a date," Remus raised his eyebrow, pulling Sirius's arm around him in order to steady him.

"Well, it's a comfortable jumper," Sirius slurred, leaning into his friend. He smelled like chocolate and perfume. _Alaina's perfume_.

"Keep it then," Remus muttered, lifting his friend up the stairs, "Come on, let's get you to bed."


End file.
